Orange County NC Website
2. Participate in education and certification of LEED guidelines through training of Building <br />and Planning employees in order to provide in-house education of the general public and <br />private sector builders. 2008 <br />3. Adopt `smart growth' principles of land development and site planning including `low <br />impact design' guidelines in appropriate sectors of County policy by the end of 2008. <br />4. Adopt `smart growth' principles of land development and site planning including `low <br />impact design' guidelines in planning and erosion control regulations by the end of 2008. <br />5. Implement green building standards through the Planning and Inspections Department, <br />Building Division regulations for both public and private sectors development beginning in <br />2009. <br />A task force of private homebuilders, local private utilities, designers, members of the County <br />energy conservation team, and representatives from the Town of Hillsborough, County Planning <br />and Inspections staff met numerous times in the Fall of 2007 to address green building <br />concepts the result of this effort was the development of recommendations for this Smart" <br />Growth /Green Building Report. <br />Issue: <br />There are at least seventy-seven (77) different "green building" programs available nationally. <br />Two (2) have appeared to have risen to the top in their application in Orange County, the <br />USGBC LEED standards for Homes and New Development, and the US Home Builders <br />Association National Green Building Standards. Both programs address the same energy and <br />ecologically based topics, recycling, non-potable water sources for irrigation, pervious <br />pavement, site selection and disturbance, but each in their own way. Third-party certification is <br />common to both. A combination of both will enhance Orange County's Zoning Ordinance and <br />Subdivision Regulations. <br />PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS: <br />The Task Force concluded that `Green Building' standards should be a phased implementation <br />program to include all building construction, demolition and remodeling in Orange County. <br />Phase I: Education -Fall 2008 <br />a) Provide funding through the budgetary process and grant proposals fora `Green <br />Building' educational outreach program, with staff training and certification in an <br />. established `Green Building' program such as LEED or Green Globe. <br />b) Implement an educational outreach program on `Green Building' techniques and <br />incentives for designers, architects, engineers, developers, building contractors and <br />homeowner builders interested in obtaining permits for construction or demolition in <br />Orange County through partnership between County Inspections Division staff trained in <br />`Green Building' certification and the local Home Builder's Association. <br />Phase II: Public funded mandates /Private funded voluntary -July 2009 <br />a) Require mandatory compliance and certification with an established Green Building <br />program for all publicly funded structures in Orange County. <br />b) Adopt zoning ordinance regulations to limit site disturbance, limit non-native landscaping, <br />limit irrigation types, and require pervious parking surfacing and shading for publicly and <br />privately funded commercial structures and multi-family residential properties. <br />